This invention relates to personal computers, and more particularly to personal computers having a connector assembly with an integral retainer enabling resistance to disconnection which would interfere with continued operation of the computer.
Personal computer systems in general and IBM personal computers in particular have attained widespread use for providing computing capability to many segments of today's modern society. Personal computer systems can usually be defined as a desk top, floor standing, or portable microcomputer that consists of a system unit having a single system processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, a display monitor, a keyboard, one or more diskette drives, a fixed disk storage, and an optional printer. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a motherboard or system planar to electrically connect these components together. These systems are designed primarily to give independent computing capability to a single user and are inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or small businesses. Examples of such personal computer systems are IBM's PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 25, 30, 50, 60, 70 and 80.
These systems can be classified into two general families. The first family, usually referred to as Family I Models, use a bus architecture exemplified by the IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER AT and other "IBM compatible" machines. The second family, referred to as Family II Models, use IBM's MICRO CHANNEL bus architecture exemplified by IBM's PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 Models 50 through 80. The Family I models typically have used the popular INTEL 8088 or 8086 microprocessor as the system processor. These processors have the ability to address one megabyte of memory. The Family II models typically use the high speed INTEL 80286, 80386, and 80486 microprocessors which can operate in a real mode to emulate the slower speed INTEL 8086 microprocessor or a protected mode which extends the addressing range from 1 megabyte to 4 Gigabytes for some models. In essence, the real mode feature of the 80286, 80386, and 80486 processors provide hardware compatibility with software written for the 8086 and 8088 microprocessors.
In the development of personal computers such as those described, reliance has been placed on conventional printed circuit board or card technology to establish operative communication among functional components of the computer. Thus certain components may be mounted on a system planar or motherboard which provides for such interconnection, while others may be mounted on or interconnected by other cards or boards used in the system. Frequently, connections between such cards and certain other components are established by cables or the like. One common example is the connection necessary between a controller circuit and a direct access storage device such as a fixed or hard disk or a removable media device such as a floppy disk drive. Persona familiar with personal computers will be familiar with such interconnections and the flat, flexible, multiple conductor cables frequently used to make them.
It has been determined that one source of difficulty in the manufacture and delivery of such machines lies in the inadvertent disconnection of such cables during shipment and handling of the machine prior to its installation for use. Where such disconnection occurs, it is frequently necessary for a service call to be made simply to open the machine enclosure and reconnect a cable end connector which had become separated.